Since nanotubes, in particular carbon nanotubes, are suitable for use as metallic conductors and as semiconductors, in the context of nanocircuitry it is desirable for nanotubes of this type to be applied in targeted structured form to planar substrates. The use of nanotubes, such as in particular carbon nanotubes, as components, e.g. in electric circuits, requires them to make contact with metallic conductors. Nanotubes of this type are usually available as dispersions or as powders. When dispersions of this type are applied to planar surfaces, however, random distributions of bundles of nanotubes and of isolated nanotubes are usually obtained. Therefore, nanotubes from dispersions are applied to surfaces which have already been prestructured. Alternatively, the surfaces are suitably structured after the nanotubes have been deposited, i.e. electric conductors and pads are then arranged on the substrate surface. Furthermore, it is also possible for nanotubes to be deposited on a substrate in a random orientation and to be located and selected using high-resolution methods, such as force microscopy, and then for the appropriately positioned nanotube(s) to be provided with suitable contacts, such as for example gold contacts, in a targeted manner. It has already been possible to produce logic circuits based on carbon nanotubes on this basis (cf. A. Bachthold et al., Science 294, pages 1317-1320 (2001)).
However, the prior art does not currently provide an efficient method which allows targeted application of nanotubes to planar substrates in defined structures, in particular in the nanometer range.